Douluo Continent: My Martial Soul is the Black Dragon, I am the Lord of the Gods

Chapter 182 Dancing in the Minefield
……

As the auction progressed, the atmosphere in the room became increasingly heated. One rare item after another was presented, prompting the crowd to bid against each other, with shouts of "bid!" rising and falling.

Finally, we arrived at one of the highlights of this auction.

The auctioneer clapped his hands lightly, and then several burly men carried a huge iron cage slowly onto the auction stage.

The iron cage was covered by a huge black cloth, making it impossible to see what was inside.

"Distinguished guests, the next item is definitely a highlight of this auction!" The auctioneer's voice was full of passion, deliberately keeping everyone in suspense, "I'm sure you're all very curious about what treasure is hidden under this black cloth."

The crowd whispered amongst themselves, speculating about what was under the black cloth.

Ning Rongrong also curiously peeked out, her eyes fixed on the auction stage.

"Now, let's unveil this mystery!" The auctioneer suddenly ripped off the black cloth, and the scene inside the iron cage was instantly revealed to everyone.

That was a catwoman.

She has short, light green hair, fair skin like crystal jade, and triangular ears with slightly upturned tips, which are completely different from ordinary humans. This is clearly a characteristic of a cat-like martial soul after awakening.

His eyes were like two dazzling sapphires, clear and bright, yet revealing a hint of wariness and fear.

Her body was bound by a thin chain, her skin was as white as snow, and she was only wearing a tattered animal skin skirt, revealing her long and shapely legs. She also wore a pair of heavy shackles on her feet.

The auctioneer waved his stick, ready to begin the auction, when the temperature in the auction hall suddenly dropped. A bone-chilling cold surged forth, only to vanish in an instant, as if it had never been there.

Oops!

Ning Fengzhi and his group exchanged glances, all turning their gazes toward the same target.

Xuanming's expression remained unchanged, but the two dragons behind him had an endless chill in their eyes!
“If I remember correctly, there was a clause in the contract I signed with the seven major families that prohibited all human trafficking in the auction house.” Xuanming turned to look at Ning Rongrong.

"Did I remember wrong?"

Ning Rongrong opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say.

She's about to explode! She's about to explode!

“And His Highness the Crown Prince.” Xuanming looked at Ning Fengzhi.

"Do we seem to have talked about this, or am I mistaken?"

Ning Fengzhi's expression was solemn. He nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the trembling catwoman on the auction stage, and said in a deep voice, "The royal family and the seven great families have indeed issued relevant regulations prohibiting any form of human trafficking from occurring at auctions, however..."

"So I didn't remember wrong?" Xuan Ming's lips curled up slightly, revealing neither joy nor anger.

Ning Rongrong and the others, however, were well aware of what this meant.

Laughed?

This is because she can't control her anger!

"It seems that this auction house has blatantly violated the agreement." Xuan Ming's voice was not loud, but it clearly resounded throughout every corner of the auction house, like an icy blade in the dead of winter, sending chills down one's spine.

At this moment, the previously enthusiastic atmosphere in the auction hall instantly plummeted to freezing point, and everyone turned their astonished gazes toward Xuan Ming and his group.

The burly men were so frightened by this sudden turn of events that they almost dropped the sticks they were holding.

The auctioneer, recognizing Xuanming, turned deathly pale, large beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. He stammered, "This...this might be a misunderstanding. We...we just found out..."

"Don't be nervous, continue." Xuanming had a smile on his face that showed no problem whatsoever. It was the same smile that every student who had studied at Yuexuan had, polite and friendly.

However, this smile on Xuanming's face just didn't look right at all!

“Mr. Xuanming, we…”

"Do I need to repeat myself?" Xuanming asked calmly, his tone carrying an undeniable authority.

The host froze, his lips trembling, but he dared not utter another word.

The guests present also recognized Xuan Ming, Ning Fengzhi standing next to him, and Sword Douluo Chen Xin. They all lowered their heads, not daring to meet his gaze.

The once bustling auction hall was now eerily quiet; even breathing was deliberately suppressed to a minimum, as everyone was afraid of becoming the center of attention.

"No one's bidding?" Xuanming glanced at the audience.

"Alright, I'll pay."

"One hundred million gold soul coins!"

Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked. They stared wide-eyed at Xuan Ming in disbelief.

The auctioneer's body trembled violently, and he nearly dropped the gavel. His voice trembled as he stammered, "Mr...Mr. Xuanming, you...you..."

"Isn't that enough?" Xuanming asked.

"Alright, two hundred million!"

"enough?"

"..."

The auctioneer collapsed to the ground, his face deathly pale. How could he not understand what Xuanming meant!
However, the auction house's behind-the-scenes owners will not admit to this, and in the end, all the responsibility will fall on them, the participants!

Finished!

They're finished!

……

The auction was interrupted, and all the guests who participated in the auction quickly left. Even though many of them had not won their items for the day, none of that mattered anymore. They just wanted to get away from this place of trouble as soon as possible.

After making his offer, Xuanming spoke with Ning Fengzhi and then left. As for the catwoman, Ning Fengzhi would take care of her.

He had no intention of causing a scene at the auction; countless people would be vying to resolve this matter. But the fact that this had come to light meant it had never truly stopped.

The seven major families played a joke on him, and the Heavenly Dou Royal Family also played a joke on him.

He took the contract, written in black and white, seriously; he was the only one who took it seriously.

"Dad, what happened?" Ning Rongrong asked, her face full of worry.

"It wasn't like that back then..."

Ning Fengzhi sighed, "These kinds of things aren't so easy to eliminate."

Xuanming initially had no interest in the contract for the Great Soul Arena. It was only after Xue Qinghe inadvertently mentioned it that Xuanming relented and agreed to sign the contract to cooperate with the promotion of the Great Soul Arena.

However, the seven major families clearly did not take this matter to heart.

As for the Heavenly Dou royal family, both empires already have laws prohibiting the buying and selling of slaves. Even if Xue Qinghe, as the crown prince, were to push for it, it wouldn't be something that could be achieved overnight.

"Where there is demand, there is a market. As long as there are people who want to buy these things, there will always be people who will sell them," Tang San said.

"Especially those things that are openly prohibited, the profits involved are enough to make countless people take risks for them."

Ning Fengzhi nodded. "That's true. To truly eliminate this problem, we need to make people stop having this kind of thinking, but that's obviously impossible."

How many people could the laws of the two great empires actually govern?

Can it restrain the nobles? Or can it restrain those powerful Soul Masters?
Even the laws of the Spirit Hall cannot accomplish this.

Because a large portion of those who enforce these laws are also involved in these activities and profit from them.

While rules prohibit certain things, they also create huge opportunities for those who break them!
“But, Xuanming…” Ning Rongrong was a little worried.

"This matter is likely to cause quite a stir. I need to contact the seven major families, and also the royal family," Ning Fengzhi said.

"Rongrong, you two go back first. Xuanming won't do anything reckless."

At first glance, Xuanming was indeed a very impulsive and naive child with too many innocent ideas.

But over the years, Xuanming is no longer the naive young man he once was.

Instead of taking direct action, he chose to offer 200 million gold soul coins, intending to leave the matter to the seven major families and the Heaven Dou Royal Family.

After all, taking action can only resolve today's issue and may even cause more trouble.

……

Prince's Mansion.

Hearing that Xuanming had returned to Tiandou City from Sunset Forest, Qian Renxue dressed up specially, planning to call him over again that evening, hoping to take advantage of the night to go for a walk with him...

"Young Master, something has happened."

The Serpent Spear Douluo's voice suddenly rang out from outside the door, breaking the tranquility and anticipation.

"What's wrong?" Qian Renxue asked casually as she sat in front of the dressing mirror.

“Xuanming just went to the auction house and happened to come across a slave auction,” said Serpent Spear Douluo.

"Moreover, the one being auctioned off... is a catwoman who, like him, has awakened her martial spirit and experienced physical mutations."

Qian Renxue froze, as if struck by lightning. "What did you say?!"

Slave auction, or a catwoman with a mutated body?
Is this some kind of dance in the Xuanming Thunder Zone?!

“Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo were also present. Xuanming didn’t make a move; he simply offered 200 million gold soul coins to buy the catwoman. This matter has already spread,” said Serpent Spear Douluo.

"Ning Fengzhi is heading this way; news should be arriving from the Emperor soon."

boom!
With a cold face, Qian Renxue smashed the dressing table in front of her to pieces with a single punch.

"Where is Xuanming?"

"He went to the Spirit Temple," said the Serpent Spear Douluo.

"Perhaps they want the Pope to intervene in this matter."

The person who sold Xuanming back then was a low-level patrol officer of the Spirit Hall. Although Qian Renxue repeatedly emphasized that it was just an isolated case and did not represent the attitude and behavior of the entire Spirit Hall.

However, they all knew very well that if others were in this situation, few would be able to resist the temptation of at least 100,000 gold soul coins!

Moreover, such physical mutations always occur during the awakening of a martial soul, and the people of the Spirit Hall are the first to receive the news.

There's a high chance that someone from the Spirit Hall was involved in this Catwoman incident.

"Investigate!" Qian Renxue shouted coldly.

"Bring them all out, one by one!"

“Young Master, this is probably not appropriate,” Serpent Spear Douluo asked.

"The clandestine slave trade has far-reaching implications and a deeply entrenched network of interests, involving a large number of nobles and soul masters. It might even affect the Spirit Hall. Acting rashly..."

"Do I need to repeat myself?" Qian Renxue asked coldly.

Serpent Spear Douluo's expression froze. "Your subordinate will go immediately!"

After saying that, Serpent Spear Douluo disappeared outside the door.

Qian Renxue looked at the broken dressing table in front of her, her expression uncertain.

This is something Xue Qinghe promised Xuan Ming!
It was even Xue Qinghe who proposed it!
But now it's turned out like this!

How should she face Xuanming?
(End of this chapter)